Rain washes mine
sediment into creek

27 Feb 2013, 10:07 a.m.

Rain over the
weekend washed excavation sediments from the Dargues Gold Mine site down Spring
Creek and into Majors Creek, which runs into the Araluen Valley. Work had only
just started on the roadworks and preliminary earthworks for the development of
the mine.

Rain washes mine
sediment into creek

On Sunday morning sediment from the Dargues Gold Mine flows from Spring Creek at the junction with Major's Creek.

Rain over the
weekend washed excavation sediments from the Dargues Gold Mine site down Spring
Creek and into Majors Creek, which runs into the Araluen Valley. Work had only
just started on the roadworks and preliminary earthworks for the development of
the mine.

On Friday 20.1mm
of rain was recorded, 49.5mm on Saturday and 22.8mm on Sunday, although it was
very patchy across the district.

Residents became
concerned at the extent of the washout and the 24 hour hotline was not
answering.

Robyn Clubb Media
spokesperson for the Araluen Valley Agricultural Producers and Protectors of
the Ecosystem Coalition (AVAPECC) said “It is extraordinary that the Mine is
not required to immediately stop work when something as major as this happens,
and the Project design is proved to be inadequate even for a rainfall event
that occurs quite often in this area. A few months ago this area received many
times more rainfall within a day.”

“The sediment
plume can be traced along Major's Creek, through the Major's Creek Conservation
area, habitat of many endangered and critically endangered species, including
eastern quolls, brush tailed rock wallabies, green and gold bell frogs, giant
burrowing frog and many others. The sediment is still apparent more than 8km
below the site” says AVAPPEC.

A Spokesman for
Unity Mining Ian Howarth said “the sediment trapping dam got swamped by the
rain and the water came right over the top of it. The dam is still intact and
operating as it’s designed to, but the earthworks have increased the amount of
runoff.”

Mr Howarth said
the dam was compliant and that (its design) “is an issue for the regulator.”

“Although it
doesn’t fall under terms of reportable incidents, Unity have gone to the EPA
and reported it and he’s onsite this afternoon (Monday)” said Mr Howarth.
“Gypsum has been put into the water to act as a flocculant.”

Mr Howarth added
“there’s no requirement on the company to have zero discharge from that site.”

“It won’t be an
issue in a few weeks, as once the box cut is progressed, most of the runoff
water will fall into the boxcut and will be treated from there. It will be
caught in sumps and passed back though settling ponds.”

Interview by ABC
666 yesterday Unity CEO Andrew McIlwain said “it was a significant rain event
and in three days we had in excess of the 200 year rainfall for the month.”

“It was an
unfortunate circumstance was that we had a significant area of land with the
topsoil disturbed and it washed down. On Sunday every hand was onsite” he
added.

Mr McIlwain said
if people had left messages on the 24 hour hotline then they would have been
called back. The phone was left in car for a few hours, but other people on
site were available.”

Mr McIlwain
assured that it “Won’t happen again. The phone now has a default and it will
ultimately call me.”